On Tuesday, February 17, my wife, daughter, and I visited the Mead Art Center at Amherst College in western Massachusetts. Adventures of the Quantum Soup Surfer was the primary exhibit. It is by self-described astro-futurist artist JooYoung Choi (b. 1982 in Seoul, South Korea; lives in Houston, TX).
The artwork was a series of vibrant colors, with a narrative of self-discovery. “She documents the interconnecting narrative of a fictional planet called the Cosmic Web.” The fiction was stimulated in part because she did not know that her name had changed after her childhood adoption in 1983.
“Choi’s art explores themes such as anti-racism, gender inclusivity, trans-racial adoptee rights, post-traumatic growth, and spirituality rooted in social justice.
The display runs from January 27 to July 5, 2026.
Positive images of African Americans
Also showing is Kwame Brathwaite: Revolutionary Movements. “This exhibition will explore movement as an integral throughline in Kwame Brathwaite’s work—one that spans his deep engagement with social and political movements.”
Kwame Brathwaite, Untitled (Couple’s Embrace), c. 1971. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive and Philip Martin Gallery. Copyright Kwame Brathwaite Archive.“Brathwaite (b. 1938 in Brooklyn; d.2023 in New York) is perhaps most recognized for photographs celebrating Black beauty and excellence in fashion, music, and athletics. His studio portraits and concert photography, like his documentation of historic marches, the everyday life of residents in Harlem and The Bronx, and of athletes such as Muhammad Ali, convey the power of the body as a symbol of cultural strength, resilience, and pan-African solidarity. “
There was a massive photo of the Supremes at the Apollo Theater partly on a sliding door, so when the door was open Mary and Flo were visible but Diana was not, as I pointed out to a staffer. Other musicians portrayed include Abbey Lincoln and Bob Marley.
One room had a mirror ball like object. The record player had perhaps a dozen albums/12″ vinyl below. I sat and listened to System of Survival (Dub 1 Mix) by Earth, Wind and Fire. What this record and others (The Blackbyrds’ City Life, Hendrix in the West and two Joan Armatrading LPs, among others) have to do with the photographer, I am uncertain.
Family affair
“Curated in close partnership with Brathwaite’s son and daughter-in-law, Kwame and Robynn Brathwaite (Amherst College Class of 1996 and 1998, respectively), Revolutionary Movements will expand stories about the artist’s work and its international circulation.”
This show runs from February 17 to July 5, 2026. February 17? Then it opened that very day we visited. Staffers were scurrying around moving furniture, asking whether there should be chairs so people could watch a slideshow, etc.
It’s not a particular large exhibit space. We spent about an hour there. Some children’s art was in another room. “The Mead is free for all, and welcomes thousands of art appreciators every year from campus, the local community, and far beyond.”